Overdose Deaths Related to Fentanyl and Its Analogs - Ohio, January-February 2017.

Overdose Deaths Related to Fentanyl and Its Analogs - Ohio, January-February 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017 Sep 01;66(34):904-908 Authors: Daniulaityte R, Juhascik MP, Strayer KE, Sizemore IE, Harshbarger KE, Antonides HM, Carlson RR Abstract Ohio is experiencing unprecedented loss of life caused by unintentional drug overdoses (1), with illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) emerging as a significant threat to public health (2,3). IMF is structurally similar to pharmaceutical fentanyl, but is produced in clandestine laboratories and includes fentanyl analogs that display wide variability in potency (2); variations in chemical composition of these drugs make detection more difficult. During 2010-2015, unintentional drug overdose deaths in Ohio increased 98%, from 1,544 to 3,050.* In Montgomery County (county seat: Dayton), one of the epicenters of the opioid epidemic in the state, unintentional drug overdose deaths increased 40% in 1 year, from 249 in 2015 to 349 in 2016 (estimated unadjusted mortality rate = 57.7 per 100,000) (4). IMFs have not been part of routine toxicology testing at the coroner's offices and other types of medical and criminal justice settings across the country (2,3). Thus, data on IMF test results in the current outbreak have been limited. The Wright State University and the Montgomery County Coroner's Office/Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory (MCCO/MVRCL) collaborated on a National Institutes of H...
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Source Type: research